Undocumented Students: Part 2

HB0793’s appearance in the House Finance, Ways, and Means subcommittee on March 11th, 2025

Tensions grew and then raged as people from across Tennessee gathered to witness the voting on bill HB0793 in a House subcommittee on Tuesday, March 11th 2025. The bill would allow public schools to decide whether or not to provide a student an education based on their immigration status; this was ruled unconstitutional in the Supreme Court case Pryler v. Doe in 1982.

With the meeting room full, the unseated community members flooded into the hallway. The bulk of attendees at the demonstration were organized by @tnimmigrant @tirrcvotes, continuing their heroic efforts of being present for the last subcommittee this bill was in.

Sponsored by Rep. Lamberth, this bill is known to be illegal but the Republican’s hope is that it will pass and ultimately go before the Supreme Court where the ruling will be in their favor since the Supreme Court is now stacked conservatively. 

Democratic Representatives McKenzie and Hakeem both raised poignant questions about the legality of the bill, trying their best to point out the flaws of the bill while also criticizing it for being entirely un-American. 

The vote was 5 ayes and 3 nays. The protestors then shut down the meeting, chanting in both the committee room and the hallway outside of it. While the bill passing in this subcommittee was another loss, it was a closer vote than anticipated as Republican Rep. White voted against the bill along with Rep. McKenzie and Rep. Hakeem. When Rep. McKenzie and Rep. Hakeem walked into the crowded hallway after the vote, they were drowned in “thank yous”, handshakes, and hugs for the entirety of the hallway.